May this short reflection speak to your heart on this Christmas Eve. Peace and Blessings to each one.

IN THE STILLNESS……Shhhh…….Listen……Feel the stillness….

She was tired and about to give birth to a baby.Joseph was extremely weary.They had traveled for a very long time.What love this man had for her and what tremendous faith he had in God to stay by her side, believing and trusting that she was pure--a virgin, true to him, having miraculously conceived the baby through the Holy Spirit. What trust Mary had in God. She knew God was asking her to serve Him and she willingly obeyed, despite the tremendous risks ahead of them.She knew God had chosen her and, without any knowledge of the future ahead of her, she simply said to Gabriel, the angel, ”I am the Lord’s servant,…..May it be to me as you have said.”She did not laugh, she did not doubt, she completely submitted and accepted what God was asking her to do.

Our society loves to celebrate Christmas---shopping, parties, & traditions. In fact, we spend most of the month eagerly preparing for it.Warm feelings, family, friends and celebrations become our focus.Yet, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior was born in a dirty animal stable, his parents young and poor. He was placed in a straw-filled manger, literally a feeding trough for animals.No family or friends. No celebration. Certainly no royal surroundings.Expectations had been high for a King to arrive, a King who would conquer a powerful Roman empire.Instead, Jesus Christ came as a peaceful Messiah, in the form of a babe, and He would one day conquer sin.

God chose Mary and God chose this humble entrance into the world so Christ could truly KNOW us. He would feel our pain, and our joys.He would experience loss, rejection and betrayal. He was not a high ranking King who would sit on a throne in a palace totally oblivious to the struggles of the “real” world.

Miraculously, He is God, who appeared as a Babe, grew to become a man,and humbly walked this earth, experiencing our humanness because of His immense love for us. His offer of salvation and eternal life is to all who will believe in Him and receive Him as Lord and Savior.

Yes, it is a time to be joyful, to celebrate.But have we been doing that for a whole month without much thought about the incredible event that took place in Bethlehem?It was real…..Mary and Joseph were two young people seeking a place for Mary to give birth so the promises of God could unfold. Christ’s birth does not just create a cozy feeling of a tiny little innocent baby. It was an event that opened the door to eternal life……ETERNAL LIFE!!There will never be any other gift on earth that could equal the priceless treasure God gave to us through Jesus Christ, His one and only begotten Son.Whoever, WHOEVER believes in Him, WILL have life everlasting!!!

Take time, in the stillness of this holy night………quiet your hearts before God………clear your minds of the “to-do” lists and focus, truly focus on the reality of this miracle that took place so many years ago.Thank Him and Praise Him for “sticking closer than a brother“ every moment of every day. Seek His presence, dwell in His presence wherever you are or whatever your situation in life may be. It is only then that Christmas will truly be what it should be. It is only then that peace will flood your soul.

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